Speculation:Vlad Taltos
Vlad's Left Hand Once when Vlad went to an Oracle, he was told that one day his left hand would try to kill him. Vlad took this to be a reference to the Left Hand of the Jhereg, but what if this is true in a more literal sense? It might explain how Vlad really lost the pinky on his left hand. Perhaps he cut it off himself to save his own life? Vlad's Mother One of the biggest mysteries in Vlad's life is exactly what happened to his mother. We know very little about her, and Vlad's father's story apparently kept changing. It may be a very normal case of dying of the plagues, or in the riots of 221, or it might be more of a shocker. Here are some possibilties: *Vlad's mother is alive, she left The Empire and went East to Fenario. *Vlad's mother is dead, but she returns to confront Vlad as a ghost. *Vlad's mother is Verra, making Aliera his sister, Devera his niece, and Morrolan his cousin. :Evidence: Devera calls him "Uncle Vlad". ::Counterevidence: Would Verra really get intimate with a loser like Vlad's father? And if she did, would she let him die of the plague later? Plus Vlad would be "Uncle Vlad" regardless since Dolivar was Aliera's brother. :Counter-Counter Evidence: Verra got intimate with a loser like Adron e'Kieron, so Vlad's father isn't that much of a stretch. And she didn't step in and stop Adron from obliterating himself, either. ::Counter-Counter-Counter Evidence: "Uncle" is also a term to indicate a male friend of a child's parents, so "Uncle Vlad" is probably not evidence for a familial relationship. And as for Adron being a loser, well, given that he was Dragon Heir to the Empire, a masterful general and topnotch Elder Sorceror, it would be difficult to find someone who was less of a loser than he. A minor Easterner restaurant owner who despises himself and his own roots is not anywhere even approaching the same class. Verra would just as easily take up with a Teckla. :Counter-(Well, you get the idea)-Evidence: Verra is well known for using "mere mortals" to achieve her own ends. It would be just like her to make sure that Vlad was born, just so that she could control him (and thus Godslayer) later. It also works in that the Gods dispose of souls, and putting Dolivar's soul into an Easterner body might be something that advances their goals (or, it must be admitted in this case, only Verra's goals). This would also dovetail nicely into the idea that Barlen could be Brigitta's father (See Speculation:Brigitta) and Vlad is Verra's "counter" to Miklós (and therefore to Cawti). Yes, this is getting rather far-fetched... But it sure is fun to ponder. *Vlad's mother is Kiera, which could explain her fondness for him (as well as Sethra's). Hey you asked for shockers. We still don't know if this is possible of course... *Vlad's mother is Verra, but his father was not really his father. Instead, Vlad is actually the son of Noish-pa, and the man Vlad thought was his father was actually his older brother. No real evidence for this, except that Vlad seems to take after Noish-pa much more than his nominal father. *Vlad's mother is the Fenarian servant named Juliska seen in Brokedown Palace. It is possible that Juliska, and her assistant Máté are Vlad's mother and father... And that the cook Ambrus the Fat is Noish-pa. Only evidence in support of this theory is that these characters all serve food for a living (as Vlad's family does) and that many fen believe that Vlad's parents appear at some point in Brokedown Palace, making these characters possible candidates. Ambrus the Fat is also noted to be a large man (like Noish-Pa) and may have simply slimmed down some after leaving Fenario. (Also, Noish-Pa has a familiar named Ambrus, allowing for the possibility he may have taken on a pseudonym himself for some reason, but wanted to hold onto a link to his former life by naming his familiar with his real name.) Vlad's Father What was the deal with Vlad's father? Given that he spent his entire life trying to live like a Dragaeran, to the extent that even on his deathbed, he spurned magic that could have saved his life, just because it was "Eastern". We really don't have a clear idea of when Noish-pa and Vlad's father moved to Adrilankha. It seems to be within Noish-pa's lifetime, since he talks about having lived in Fenario, but was it within the lifetime of Vlad's father? Their emmigration was clearly BEFORE Vlad was born, since the family was involved in the Revolt of 221 in Adrilankha, which were right around (or slightly before) the time Vlad was born. The result of all this is that we don't know if Vlad's father's hatred of the East comes from a direct experience of some kind while he was in the east, or if it was something he picked up while growing up in Adrilankha. On The End of Vlad's Marriage The process which eventually results in the separation of Vlad and Cawti seems to start abruptly in Teckla. If you look closely, you'll see it starts almost from the moment they fall in love. This section examines those little moments and speculates about what went on behind the scenes. We first encounter the Movement in Teckla (which is placed only briefly after Jhereg). Cawti is fully wrapped up in it, which comes as news to Vlad. He has no idea how she got from being the apparently apolitical woman we see in Jhereg to what she is in Teckla. But there are clues if we look closely. Shortly after Vlad and Cawti meet in Yendi, Cawti refers to 'our people.' She and Vlad have a very brief discussion of what she means by that phrase, and then the plot moves on. The reader comes away from that scene with the impression that Vlad didn't care much for Cawti's way of thinking on the topic and that Cawti detected that. These little moments aren't much of a reed to build on. But from them I built a speculation whcih Brust has confirmed as largely correct. A couple, hot in the flush of first passion, is not going to focus on things they deeply disagree with. Cawti mentions 'our people' to Vlad a couple of times, gets a negative response, and sets the topic aside for a while. Vlad, the observant fellow that he is, lets it pass completely out of his mind. Cawti silently continues with the Movement in her spare time, from Yendi through Jhereg. She becomes more and more deeply convinced the Movement is correct. But knowing the difficulty of the gap between she and Vlad, she does not bring it up. This gap - what she thinks vs. what Vlad sees her as - grows wider with every day. Finally, the first murder in Teckla radicalizes her enough that she commits fully to the Movement. The gap is now a chasm. Now she's stuck. She despises what she was before, and what Vlad still is. She knows she's right, with the full arrogance of the newly converted. But has forgotten that it was a long journey from what she was to what she believes now. So whenever she talks to Vlad about it, that arrogance is in full view. She knows she's right, it's perfectly obvious she right, why can't he see it? Her opinion of her former occupation is not far from the surface, either. It further antagonizes their discussions. Ultimately it ends where we see it several books later. Anger on both sides leads to failed communication, and ultimately to separation. It's not clear if they ever formally divorce, but their communication has moved from simple misunderstanding to deliberate secrecy about the most important of matters, definately to a degree beyond the bounds of right. (We're avoiding spoilers for Orca and later here, but you probably know what is meant.) The breach is almost certianly unhealable, but it shouldn't permit the degree of alienation that has occurred. Plainly there will be more seen on this topic (the end of Orca makes this plain) but it's not at all clear when or how it will happen. The end of Issola removes a logistical barrier to further developments, but that's only one of the barriers involved. This reader looks forward with interest to the later Vlad books. ''-- Steve Simmons'' Alexx's List The following was originally copied from Alexx's Steven Brust Page, and usefully lists the events that Vlad mentions but does not give full details about. *Vlad killed as a warning, revivified by Sethra Lavode (Jhereg, 39-40). Vlad has "never bothered the guy since". Iorich, perhaps? *Vlad sees a Dzur hero attack Sethra Lavode (Jhereg, 62-63). Dzur is the logical assumption, but since it will be set AFTER Jhereg, it now seems unlikely. *"Cawti holding a knife to Morollan's throat and explaining how it was going to be, while I sat paralyzed and helpless" (Teckla, 13). No obvious connection. Tsalmoth, maybe? *Vlad learns "you can never go home" (Teckla, 99). (This is listed as one of the effects of the Battle of Baritt's Tomb, but doesn't seem to apply to anything that happens in Dragon. This could possibly be a very obscure reference to the presence of Eastern cavalry during the battle--and the fact that they were fighting on the other side of the conflict from Vlad?) However, this seems to a be a very literal reading. I think it is more symbolic almost mythic phrasing by Vlad. "He can never go home" mentally after seeing warfare up close. Maybe. *Vlad and Loiosh go East (Orca, 201). No obvious connection. Tsalmoth, Jhegaala, maybe Lyorn? Or maybe _Fenario_, since we're leaving the land of Faerie... (This may be where Vlad ends up in jail eating too much potato soup, since this is a popular dish in Fenario. (see below.)) *Vlad gets in "a little trouble with the Empire" once (Jhereg, 20). Might be referring to the Tagichatn matter in 240 PI, but more likely refers to the untold tale immediately below. Iorich? *Vlad is incarcerated for "a few weeks" "as part of the affair that gained me my exalted position in the Jhereg and had first brought my friend Aliera to the attention of the Empress" (Phoenix, 54). (This could also be the Tagichatn affair, for that matter, though how Aliera figures into it (seeing as she was still trapped in a stick of wood at the time) is less clear.) *Vlad has been in prison once more that we don't know about (Phoenix, 104, 152-153). Iorich? *Vlad "had lain helpless while Morrolan battled a demon that had taken his own sword from him" (Phoenix 111). Hawk, perhaps? (on the "investigating things man was Not Meant To Know lines...) *Verra considers Morollan's window an Imperial Secret (A Dream of Passion, p24). One wonders at the context in which *this* little tidbit became known to Vlad... Also Hawk, for similar reasons. (This one should be considered "non-canon" due to the status of ADOP.) *Vlad "parlayed with spirits from my ancestral home for the release of the Necromancer's soul" (Phoenix, 111). *Vlad "battled with my own likeness" (Phoenix, 111). Jhegaala? (Another possibility is that this is simply a euphemism for Vlad's tendency to practice fencing against his own shadow.) *"the time I spent half a day under a pile of refuse because it was the only place to hide" (Orca, 24). Tsalmoth? *"the time I took a job selling fish in the market" (Orca, 24). *"Once I ended up impersonating a corporal in the Imperial Guard and had to arrest someone for creating a disturbance in a public place" (Orca, 24). Jhegaala? Tiassa? *Vlad loses his left pinky (in a fight? To a heavy weight? From chewing on his fingernails?) (Athyra, 6, 30, 45). *Vlad meets a philosopher, then kills her (Athyra, 38-39). Chreotha? *Vlad is held captive somewhere (not by the Empire), involving "far too much potato soup" (Issola, 90). Chreotha? (This could also be a reference to his incarceration on Greenaere, although Potato soup is not mentioned there.) *Vlad sees Morrolan fight a nasty duel with Vrudric e'Lanya in Castle Black (Issola, 137). *Vlad has an unpleasant run-in with someone who (unexpectedly) *can* jump an eleven-foot crevasse (Issola, 120). Jhegaala? ---- Category:Speculation